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Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 16% of Mecklenburg County's mapped land, a higher share than 64% of US counties. A shallow water table limits basements on 16%.
None of the county is in drought on the November 3, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 447 flood losses here since 2016, 14% of them in buildings with basements. 25% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1997.
Data as of November 3, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, November 3, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Mecklenburg County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.8% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 15.6% |
| Septic fields very limited | 47.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.8% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 16.1% |
| Urban land, not rated | 7.6% |
| Mapped soil | 351,661 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: expansive clay |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil | 37% | 0% |
| Wilkes | 7% | n/a |
| Enon | 7% | n/a |
| Monacan | 7% | n/a |
| Mecklenburg | 6% | n/a |
| Iredell | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas NC119 (2025-08-27)
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.8% by land area here, and 16% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 16% of the mapped land.
On 16% of Mecklenburg County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 31.93 in, 12.41 in below the 1991-2020 average year of 44.34 in.
Drought
0% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the November 3, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 49 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 100% of its area, in 33 weeks, most recently on the July 28, 2026 map.
| Category, November 3, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 99.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 0% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
447 flood losses since 2016, $20.2 million paid. The worst year was 2024, with 159. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 14% basements, 17% slabs, 37% crawl spaces, 32% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 26.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 59 |
| 2019 | 64 |
| 2020 | 99 |
| 2021 | 11 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 7 |
| 2024 | 159 |
| 2025 | 27 |
| 2026 to date | 2 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 44.34 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 31.93 in (-12.41) |
| 2025 | 37.77 in (-6.57) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1908: 65.33 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 2007: 29.67 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP (7 mi away) | 11.5 |
Homes
| Housing units | 503,071 |
| Median year built | 1997 |
| Built before 1980 | 25% |
| Built 2000 or later | 45% |
| Owner-occupied | 55% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $406,800 |
| Single-family detached | 55% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabarrus County, NC | 19 mi | 22% | 22% |
| Gaston County, NC | 20 mi | 3% | 10% |
| Union County, NC | 25 mi | 3% | 28% |
| York County, SC | 28 mi | 23% | 23% |
| Lincoln County, NC | 28 mi | 1% | 9% |
| Rowan County, NC | 33 mi | 17% | 15% |
| Stanly County, NC | 33 mi | 4% | 18% |
| Catawba County, NC | 36 mi | under 1% | 9% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 27, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (November 3, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status